


fall on your knees

by 2manyboys



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Ice Skating, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2manyboys/pseuds/2manyboys
Summary: Joe’s been carrying around the little velvet box for weeks, opening it when he’s alone and touching the shining silver, imagining slipping it onto Nicky’s finger.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 32
Kudos: 239
Collections: Secret Santa Fics





	fall on your knees

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teodux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teodux/gifts).



Today’s the day. 

Joe’s been carrying around the little velvet box for weeks, opening it when he’s alone and touching the shining silver, imagining slipping it onto Nicky’s finger. There’ve been a couple of close calls, most notably Joe diving across the couch to stop Nicky from reaching into his coat pocket the day he brought it home, but he managed to keep it secret with many distraction kisses. (Booker owes Andy money over this, which makes Joe particularly proud of himself.) 

He’s been planning his proposal for exactly a year. That is to say, Joe has wanted to marry Nicky since pretty much the night they met, but a year ago, as they were showing Nicky’s parents around the city, they paused near the outdoor ice rink where they had their first date and Nicky said, “We should come back on our anniversary next year and skate again.” Joe agreed, squeezing Nicky’s hand tight, and started planning. 

Roping their friends into this was easier than he thought, strangely nobody had to change plans or did much grumbling. Andy and Quynh agree to keep out of sight in the surrounding park but keep their eyes open and cameras ready. Booker and Lykon will sneak in champagne to the little seated break area that only serves watery overpriced hot chocolate. Nile, Dizzy, and Jay are skating too, they did a great job of feigning surprise when they ran into each other at the rental counter. Joe’s heart is still beating out of his chest with nervousness of course, not that he thinks Nicky will say no or even that he’ll rush Joe into asking if he does figure it out what’s going on. He’s scared the same way he’s been scared for all their firsts, all too aware that Nicky’s the only person he wants to have first times with ever again, addicted to making him smile. 

Nicky is smiling at him when he looks up from adjusting the fit of his clunky old skates, looking at him in a way Joe mentally categorizes as _waiting for a kiss_. Maybe that’s not what Nicky’s thinking but he does tilt his face up just a little when Joe wobbles over to him on skate blades, hand going to his hip, kissing him softly just once. 

“You’re not too cold, are you?” Nicky asks, tugging at the lapels of Joe’s coat to pull him into another kiss. 

Joe’s too excited to really be cold. They’re both a little overdressed too, considering most other skaters are kids in pajamas and hockey jerseys. Dressing up was Nicky’s idea, a teasing insistence that this was a date after all. Joe pretended to go along with it for his sake, but looking ready to pose for a holiday card means they’re equally prepared for engagement photos. “A little, but I’ll warm up when we get moving. Why?” 

“You’re being quiet.” Nicky says, tugging Joe out of the way of a small herd of teens who thunder past. “Usually when this song is playing you ask me if I’d like to make the yuletide _really_ gay.” 

Joe laughs, realizing he’d almost entirely tuned out the cheesy Christmas playlist now that Nicky points it out. “Would you?” He asks, waggling his eyebrows. 

Nicky laughs too, in that quiet way of his, and leans in for another kiss. This is more PDA than they’re typically prone to, but something about the cold air and the buzzing anticipation makes them both a little clingier than usual. “Let’s skate if you won’t tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Nothing’s wrong, babe.” Joe assures him, gently taking both of Nicky’s hands, “I’m just thinking about our first date.” 

“Oh.” Nicky says, ducking his head and squeezing Joe’s hands. “What a disaster, I was sure you wouldn’t want to see me again.” 

“That’s not how I remember it at all!” Joe protests. He lets Nicky lead them toward the ice, wobbling along behind him like a newborn deer, but continues, “I was distracted the whole time by your hair curling behind your ears, you’d had them pierced since we met. You literally skated circles around me.” 

“I’m glad you were distracted, I was saying very stupid things.” Nicky grumbles, waiting for a break in the flow of skaters to open the little door out onto the ice. “You still make me-”

“Nobody could make you stupid, my love.” Joe interrupts, “Except possibly in bed. But I take that as a compliment.” 

“Lower your voice.” Nicky laughs, gamely allowing Joe to use his broad shoulders for support as he takes his first shaky steps out onto the ice. It’s started snowing the slightest bit, like the sky is shaking powdered sugar over the scene. Tiny snowflakes stick to Nicky’s eyelashes, proving he’s still distractingly gorgeous without even trying. Joe nearly falls on his ass but Nicky catches him like he always does. 

Nile skates by backwards, pulling Dizzy and Jay along, all three of them gasping with laughter. This is the kind of stunt that’s technically not allowed during public skate hours, but there’s not enough people that they’re in danger of colliding with anyone and the rink employee in the striped referee shirt is lounging in the penalty box, texting. Joe manages to start moving forward at a steady pace, loosely holding Nicky’s hand, focusing on his own feet for the first lap. Nicky is patient with him, humming along to jingle bell rock until Joe can skate and talk at the same time. 

“You know, I was surprised you wanted to go out at all.” Joe admits, “All we did at Quynh’s party was argue.” 

“I told you I only kept that argument going because I liked having your attention.”

“My _passionate_ attention.” 

“Yes, of course.” 

“Then you put me off for so long…” 

“Graduate school made me a flaky person.” 

“So when we finally got together here I’d almost forgotten how much I liked you. Then you were there, with your long hair and your earrings and your oversized sweater, showing off your legs.” 

“I didn’t mean to.” Nicky insists, “I had to take a few fast laps without you just because I was nervous.” He shifts like he might take a few right now, but Joe squeezes tighter to his hand. The ring box sits heavy in his pocket, if Nicky starts skating away from him he might lose his nerve. 

“It was a good date.” Joe promises, tripping a little on the uneven surface of the ice. “We’re here, aren’t we?” 

“We are.” Nicky agrees, solemn. He tugs Joe closer, sliding his arm under Joe’s coat to wrap around his waist. “We’re here because you walked me all the way home and asked if you could kiss me.” 

“We’re here because you invited me up for some real hot chocolate and really made some.” 

“What else would I have- oh.” Nicky huffs, shaking his head, “You thought it was a line?” 

“Could have been! It was a good kiss, I was hoping you wanted more.” 

“I did.”

“Oh, I know.”

They grin at each other and keep skating in slow circles. Nicky gets increasingly pink-cheeked in the cold and eventually the snow picks up to the point where they have to clear off the ice for the zamboni to go around. Joe’s negotiating with himself, deciding when they get back on the ice he’ll stop them close to the big light-covered tree and, slowly, get down on one knee. He doesn’t notice Nicky watching him stare at the tree and chew anxiously on his bottom lip. He also doesn’t notice Nile slide a box into Nicky’s pocket and shoot him two thumbs up, going to join Booker and Lykon at the table they’ve claimed in the break area. 

They’re among the last of the skaters to get back onto the ice, lingering on the bench and smiling at each other in quiet, comfortable silence until the younger crowd dissipates and spreads themselves out. Joe’s more confident when he steps out onto the ice this time but he still uses Nicky for balance, trying to keep his breathing even. He knows nothing about their life is really about to change, besides having to start planning a ceremony of some kind, but it feels huge. Joe’s been dreaming about this for weeks. 

They make it halfway around the rink near the big tree. Joe turns to Nicky and shuffles to a stop with a scrape of his skate blade against the ice. He takes a deep breath, the cold air biting its way into his lungs, and exhales shakily. 

“Nicky.” Joe says, smiling, already fighting tears as Nicky smoothly slides around in front of him and smiles back. Nicky takes both his hands and presses them to his chest, a gesture so clear Joe is positive he knows exactly what’s going on here. It’s something of a relief, pressure abating so quickly he feels lightheaded. Of course Nicky knows, Nicky knows him inside and out. Before Joe can figure out how to shift his weight on the skates to get down on his knee, Nicky takes his breath away by _doing it first_. 

He’s still holding Joe’s hands, sinking gracefully downward until his knee hits the ice. Joe is gaping down at him, frozen, watching the snow stick in Nicky’s hair and eyelashes. 

“Joe.” Nicky says, deadly serious, “I love you.” 

Joe is already crying. Part of him is delighted with the realization that all of their friends were free for this because Nicky’s been planning it too, at least one step ahead of him. They’re probably all taking photos right now, and all Joe is managing to do is stare. The rest of him is lost in Nicky’s eyes. 

“You’re the love of my life.” Nicky continues, letting go of one of Joe’s hands to reach into his pocket. He pulls out a ring box, identical to the one in Joe’s pocket, and says, “You already make me the happier than I thought I could be, happier than I deserve-” 

“Nicky.” Joe chokes out. He doesn’t mean to interrupt but Nicky seems to have expected this gentle censure, he laughs and gazes up at Joe with nothing but adoration. 

“Will you let me keep trying to make you that happy, for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me Joe?” Nicky asks. He opens the box but Joe couldn’t care less what the ring looks like.

“Yes.” Joe says, at least once, and then, “Yes, Nicky. Please stand up so I can kiss you.” 

Nicky surges up to kiss him fast enough that they both almost fall over. It’s not a particularly pretty kiss, Joe imagines. He’s crying too much, too desperate, still clinging to one of Nicky’s hands and winding the other one into his hair. The ring box in Nicky’s hand is squished between them, and every time Joe tries to push forward they both slide back a few inches on the ice. They manage to calm down eventually, ending on a gentle kiss that Joe hopes one of their friends gets a photo of, and pull apart enough for Nicky to wordlessly slide the ring onto Joe’s hand. 

The way he looks, staring at it, makes Joe want to start crying again. Instead, he raises that hand to Nicky’s face and asks, “My turn?” 

Nicky stares at him, adorably confused. He’s pink-cheeked from the cold, lips red and swollen from kissing. The snow has made his hair damp and his shirt collar is askew. Joe loves him more than anything. “What?” 

It takes some careful maneuvering, but Joe manages to get down on his knee in about twice the time it took Nicky. Nicky doesn’t cry often, though he’s learned to bring tissues into sad movies for Joe, but he’s crying now. 

“I had a whole speech planned, but I forgot how good you are at knocking me off my feet. Nicky, Nicolò, my moon when I’m lost in darkness, I love you so much no poet has ever captured the depth of that feeling. I checked.” He pauses, giving them both a moment to stare at each other and linger in this moment. 

Nicky sniffs and opens his mouth like he’s going to jump the gun and say yes early. Joe keeps talking then, a little faster now. 

“I won’t quote anything to you now because our friends are waiting for us and my knee is getting pretty cold.” Joe says, and Nicky covers his mouth as he laughs shakily, “But babe, I promise I will keep trying to tell you what you mean to me for the rest of our lives, if you let me. Whatever brought us together-”

“Destiny.” Nicky insists, muffled by his hand. Joe hears him and can’t get the ring out of his pocket fast enough. 

“I never want to be parted from you. Nicolò di Genova, will you marry me?” 

“Yes.” Nicky says, tugging Joe back up onto his skates to kiss him. He’s more aggressive about it, pushing Joe back into the side of the rink and biting his bottom lip. “Give me the ring already.” 

Joe laughs at his impatience, but holds his breath as he slides it on. Thunderous applause breaks out around them, plus familiar whistles and shouts from their friends, as their large audience of just about everyone at the rink decides they must be done by now. 

Neither of them love this much attention but they’re too busy glowing with happiness to shy away from congratulatory handshakes and back pats from strangers. They cut a line straight across the ice to step off, hurrying to swap their skates for shoes and join their friends. 

Nicky catches Joe staring at him when he gets distracted by the flash of his ring trying to tie his shoes, and asks, “What?” 

“You’re so beautiful.” Joe says. Something of what he’s yearning for—kissing the soft skin of Nicky’s thighs—must come through in his voice because Nicky grins and shakes his head, blushing. “You are, Nicky, my beautiful fiancé.” 

“Yours.” Nicky agrees, fiddling with his new ring. He glances up at Joe from under his eyelashes with a little smirk, adding in a whisper, “Hurry up so we can go home and you can prove it.” 

Joe has never tied his shoes faster. They return their skates and the teen behind the counter shyly offers their congratulations, waiving the rental fee in a very sweet gesture. Nicky clearly suspects this will come out of their paycheck because he stuffs cash into the tip jar while Joe distracts them with his smile. 

The second they step into the break area they’re enveloped in a group hug that squishes them together. Joe gets a mouthful of Quynh’s hair because he’s laughing so hard. His hand doesn’t leave Nicky’s back the whole time, moving along with him like they’re magnetized as they sit on the hard plastic benches and not-very-discreetly pop champagne for a toast. Nile, Jay, and Booker are arguing over who took better photos, Lykon and Dizzy doing their best impressions of Joe’s face when Nicky surprised him by proposing first, and Andy and Quynh are offering unsolicited advice on where they should buy a wedding cake. Joe is barely hearing anybody, because Nicky’s hand is on his thigh and on his hand is the ring. He feels like he’s dreaming, like any second they’re both going to sprout wings and fly away, weightless with love and champagne bubbles. 

Only Booker catches him daydreaming. “Don’t tell me the honeymoon period starts now.” He complains, grinning and glancing between them. 

“I think it started on our first date.” Joe protests, shifting closer to Nicky who squeezes his thigh with a grin.

“I don’t think it will end.” Nicky says. Joe, predictably, melts. Their friends break into roughly even ‘aww’s and ‘boo’s while they kiss. 

Taking pity on them, Andy raises her glass and says, “To Joe and Nicky.” 

“To Nicky and Joe.”

* * *

Though he half-expects Nicky to jump him as soon as he locks their front door behind them, he’s equally appreciative of the way Nicky is stripping off layers as he walks away, down the hallway towards their bedroom. Their shoes are kicked off haphazardly at the front door and Joe stoops to pick up Nicky’s coat off the floor, hanging it and his own in the closet. Joe finds Nicky sitting on the edge of their bed, struggling to remove his jeans, made damp by the snowfall. 

“Want some help there, handsome?” Joe offers, leaning in the doorframe. 

“I want you-” Nicky interrupts himself with a grunt, managing to get one leg free, “-to get naked, right there.” 

“Okay.” Joe laughs, pulling his socks off first. He tosses them in the general direction of the laundry basket, they land a little closer than Nicky’s sweater which he takes as a win. “And then what?” 

“You know I’m not good at dirty talk.” Nicky huffs, collapsing backward on the bed dramatically as soon as he’s free of his jeans. 

“You’re _very_ good, baby.” Joe says, lowering his voice to a register that makes Nicky’s head jerk up. Joe unzips his pants slowly, wiggling his hips until Nicky laughs and sits up fully.

“Sweetheart... are those your lucky boxers?” Nicky asks, staring in the direction of his crotch with more affection and less lust than Joe was aiming for. He’s not wrong though, these are Joe’s lucky boxers, covered in little red hearts. Before Joe can confirm, Nicky trips over his discarded jeans in a rush to get close enough to kiss. 

Nicky’s always been a good kisser and his tendency to hyperfocus on things until he’s good at them means he’s long since learned exactly how to wind Joe up with just his mouth. He’s warmed up quickly out of his wet clothes, broad hands sliding slowly under Joe’s shirt only to abruptly change gears and start tugging it off of him. 

“You didn’t need luck.” Nicky tears his mouth away to say, and to pull Joe’s shirt over his head to toss it aside, eyes dark, “You don’t, not with me. You know I would have said yes even if you asked me naked.”

Joe has to catch his breath after that one. “And you said you’re not good at dirty talk.” 

Nicky huffs a quiet laugh and his kisses travel down from Joe’s face to his neck, his shoulder, his collarbone. 

“I wasn’t trying to cheat.” Joe says, still thinking about proposing naked. He almost asked accidentally after the last time Nicky fucked him, when his whole body felt like jelly and he could barely manage the coordination to kiss. They’d both been naked then and it almost slipped out. “I thought wearing them today would give them more good luck for the future, because... you make me lucky.”

Nicky doesn’t respond out loud but his kisses get abruptly sloppier as he sinks to his knees, mouth teasing at Joe’s nipple, his stomach, his hip. Joe tenses instinctively when Nicky’s hands grip the backs of his thighs, thinking Nicky’s about to pull those boxers off. Instead his tongue comes out and drags against the growing shape of Joe’s erection through the fabric, getting it wet enough to cling. Last time he did this they were at a party, both a little drunk and fooling around in somebody’s bathroom, Nicky had pulled Joe’s pants back up afterward, claiming he ‘just wanted a taste’. 

“Lucky enough now?” Nicky asks, glancing up with a flash of a smirk. This time he’s good enough to pull the boxers down when Joe whines, getting a handful of Joe’s ass as soon as it’s bare, only sort of helping Joe to step out of them. He leans back in and adds, with his mouth so close Joe barely hears him over how hard his heart is beating, “Stop me when you’re ready to fuck me.” 

“You know I could get there just opening you up.” Joe chokes out, but he doesn’t say no to the blowjob. He gently pushes Nicky’s hair out of his face, holds his hips very still, and groans as Nicky teases him to hardness with his lips and tongue. 

The thing that makes Joe’s fingers clench in his hair, that makes him tilt his head back and moan, is Nicky switching from gripping the base of his cock with his right hand to his left. The unfamiliar sensation of the ring against his skin has Joe’s train of thought derailing completely. When he can find the words again he says, “Nicky, please, I’m ready.”

Nicky pulls off very slowly, his smile giving it away as a tease. “You must be,” he says, voice rough, “If you’re begging.” 

“I can beg prettier than that.” Joe offers, because Nicky’s still licking him and it’s starting to feel cruel. “ _Please_ , baby. Tell me how you want me?

“I want… to ride you.” Nicky says and lets Joe help haul him back to his feet. “Like the first time.” 

Joe goes hot imagining that, remembering, hands clenching reflexively at Nicky’s hips. “I’m glad we have a new bed, the noise your old one made…”

“You liked it.” Nicky teases, rubbing his jaw against Joe’s beard and whispering, “You wish the neighbors still knew how good you gave it to me. I can’t believe those students left us that cake-“

“I told you it’s a joke from a tv show-“

“-that said congrats on the sex. But you do deserve congratulations, my love.”

“ _We_ do.” Joe agrees, grinning and following along as Nicky walks them back towards the bed in an uncoordinated little shuffle. The way Nicky turns them and shoves Joe back onto the bed is hot enough that Joe forgets to shift backward for a moment, too busy staring at his very naked fiancé. 

Nicky only allows this for so long. “Joe.”

“You're so beautiful.” Joe says, knowing he’s repeating himself, knowing he’s going to for the rest of their lives. Nicky holds still enough that he could be modeling, patiently waiting for Joe’s gaze to wander back up to his face and see the heat in his eyes. 

Joe shuffles backwards until his head hits the pillows and stretches, back arching, hips kicking up, getting comfortable. Nicky’s on him a second later, scattering a flurry of kisses across his face, grinding against him. They could, and have in the past, been too comfortable and distracted just like this and lazily gotten off without reaching for the bedside drawer for lube, but Nicky’s clearly more focused tonight. Something about the bossy way he drips lube into Joe’s hand has Joe asking, even as he’s reaching to tease those slick fingers against Nicky’s ass, “Did you plan this part too?” 

“Which part?” Nicky deflects, pushing back against Joe’s hand, shameless. He’s easy, always has been, relaxing into it. 

“I want to know if my fiancé planned this seduction as well as he planned his proposal.” Joe says, “How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Since about a minute after the first time.” He’s joking, but only partially, Joe can tell by the way he hides his face, ducking down against Joe’s shoulder after he says it. That’s an old habit, familiar shyness after Nicky thinks he’s said the wrong thing. He doesn’t do it much anymore, not with Joe. 

Joe doesn’t push. He nudges Nicky into kissing him, sloppy, the kind of making out that might be disgusting but feels incredible while they’re idly grinding into each other and he’s got his fingers in Nicky’s ass. That’s a kind of coordination Joe couldn’t have managed when they first got together but he knows Nicky’s body now. He knows when Nicky’s had enough of being played with he’ll get bitey and eventually say, “Joe.” like it means “ _Now._ ” 

Their radiator kicks on with a thunk and a hiss, practically unnecessary with the heat that’s building between their bodies. When Joe pulls his hands away for more lube Nicky does bite him, turns and nips sharply at his bicep. He doesn’t groan and say Joe’s name until Joe’s sliding his fingers back in and they both feel how easy it is. 

“Joe, I’m ready.” Nicky insists, proving it by grinding back on Joe’s hand until he pulls it away to slick up his cock. Foregoing the condom is another thing they didn’t do the first time, another quietly confident indicator of their relationship that Joe wouldn’t even think about except he’s thinking about everything that got them here today.

Then he’s not thinking about anything, because Nicky is slowly sinking down on him, both hands braced against his chest. He’s biting his lip hard, eyes closed, focused on the sensation. Joe holds himself steady and keeps his other hand gripped loosely at Nicky’s waist at first, trying to keep his breathing even and quiet. Though it’s always his first instinct to tell Nicky how gorgeous he is, or to get a hand around his cock, Joe doesn’t want to rush or distract him. Plus, if he’s quiet enough he can hear the tiny satisfied noises Nicky makes. 

Or, usually he can, but Nicky’s lip stays caught between his teeth today. There’s no furrow between his brow like he’s concentrating too hard and it isn’t long before he’s starting to rock gently back onto Joe, this is something else. 

When Joe figures it out he can’t not coax Nicky into opening his eyes. “Oh _Nicky_ , you didn’t plan for how badly you would want something in your mouth, did you?”

Nicky’s eyes open, taking a moment to focus on Joe, and he shakes his head slightly. That’s enough for Joe to slide a hand up his chest in a slow tease, shifting up with the motion of Nicky’s body, resting for a moment against his neck and then up to his mouth. Nicky stays arched forward, most of him focused on fucking himself on Joe’s cock, but his lips part at last and Joe slides a finger inside. 

“There you go.” Joe whispers, watching Nicky suck on it, pushing his hips up into him. He’s a little rough, hanging on to Nicky’s face, rubbing his finger down against his tongue. Feeling the slick heat of the inside of his mouth and feeling Nicky clench down around his cock creates an echo chamber of sensation that sends a shiver of pure pleasure down his spine. He wants them tangled up together, wants to be in Nicky deeper and completely, wants and wants and wants. He tugs on Nicky’s abused lower lip as he pulls his hand away and gets a better grip on him so he can plant his feet and really fuck him. 

Nicky groans, loud. It starts as a complaint, he really does want something in his mouth, and dissolves into something else as his head drops down and their bodies become more frenzied. Maybe they could get off just like this, Nicky’s strong thighs working, if Joe gave him a hand, but he’s suddenly struck by a yearning too strong to resist, an image of their hands together, their _rings_ together. 

“Nicky- Nicky, can we- I want-“ Joe tries to say, breaking off the thought every time Nicky drops down on him. He’s slowing as he does it, trying to figure out why Joe is changing his plan. 

“Whatever you want,” Nicky says, voice rough, “Tell me.” 

“On your stomach?” Joe asks, only realizing as Nicky groans and sits up off of him so they can change positions that he won’t have the same view of Nicky’s eyes. He’s too worked up to regret it. 

The reshuffle isn’t as awkward as it could be because they’re both nearly desperate to come back together again. Nicky lets Joe out from under him and collapses forward, ass up. Joe gets behind and moves him right where he wants him and then he’s slowly pushing back in and settling on top. 

Fitting their hands together is as satisfying as he thought it would be, especially because Nicky rubs his face against their comforter to turn towards them immediately. Their fingers intertwine, rings clinking, and Joe grips tighter as he thrusts forward. Nicky’s eyes flutter closed, mouth open and gasping. The long lines of his body are flushed pink and gorgeous. Joe ducks his head down to kiss every freckle his mouth can reach, fucking Nicky as hard as he can without pushing him right up against the headboard. 

“Good?” He asks, “Are you-“

“ _So_ good.” Nicky interrupts, and then adds with a good deal more wry satisfaction, “It’s your turn to do laundry.”

“Oh yeah?” Joe laughs through the question, snapping his hips, “Gonna get something dirty, babe?”

“Yes.” Nicky promises. He wiggles his hand out of Joe’s to jerk himself off with, so unbelievably hot Joe can’t handle it sometimes. 

He loses track of time, only realizing when he’s right on the edge that he could have offered Nicky his fingers to suck on again. There’s always next time. 

“Close.” Joe warns, and then, “Love you.”

Sure it might not be the best time for an expression of genuine emotion, but Joe’s sure Nicky will remember why he’s saying it. Nicky does more than remember. He shakes with laughter, the sweetest sound, and then shakes through his own orgasm, muffling a shout in their bedspread. That’s definitely the best way this teasing recurring joke—a throwback to Nicky first confessing in the middle of a song in the middle of a concert when Joe couldn’t hear him at all—has ever been received. 

Joe follows with a few frantic thrusts and a too-loud groan, uncoordinated at the end the way he always is when he really lets go. The memory of Nicky’s whispered confession that he _loves_ that, that it makes him feel incredibly hot to do that to Joe, plays in his mind and urges him on. 

It’s Nicky’s turn to manhandle Joe then, tipping them onto their sides for their favorite cuddling position. Soon he’s going to insist they take a shower and Nicky will argue they should change the sheets first, and the rest of their night will be picking that fight back up between celebratory phone calls to family members. Tomorrow they’ll start planning a ceremony. For now they slowly come back down to earth, bodies intertwined, watching the snow falling out the window. 

Nicky shifts in his arms, sighs happily, and says, “I love you too.” The smirk in his voice is audible when he adds, absolutely because he knows it’ll break Joe’s brain, “I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> My secret santa gift for Teo, who asked for Joe/Nicky modern au, soft vibes, domesticity and fluff! She didn't ask for the we-just-got-engaged celebratory sex but I couldn't help myself and I hope she doesn't mind. ;) 
> 
> Title from O Holy Night.
> 
> Many many thanks to my betas/cheerleaders/vibe-checkers/validators; Meli, Prosey, June, Viola, Pines, I love you. Our little community is the best.


End file.
